Introduction
Social work has been called a helping profession, a problem
solving profession or an enabling profession. To qualify to be a profession,
social work should meet several criteria. One of the major criteria is that it
should have its own knowledge base (Greenwood,1957; 44-55). It should be able
to produce knowledge and its practice should repeatly validate. Theories and
concepts should be formulated which explain the relationship between various
factors that influence human behaviour. Models for interventions should be
formulated to solve problems. However social work, as it is a helping
profession, has a major limitation in this area. Most social workers are
engaged in practice with little time for developing theoretical perspectives.
Social work academics are often criticized for producing research (knowledge)
which is not of much use to practicing professionals.
Social work in the early period of growth depended to a
large extent on knowledge derived from other disciplines like psychology,
sociology, economics and political science. However since 1970s social work
scholarship has broadened and deepened its scope. The profession’s self
generated fund of knowledge has expanded substantially (Reamer in Reamer, 1994;
1). But this does not mean that social work’sengagement with other disciplines has reduced or limited.
This chapter will give you an overview about the relationship between social
work and other disciplines.
Evolution of Social Work as an Academic Discipline
Modern social work evolved in the nineteenth century to
address the problems created by the emergence of the industrial society
(Friedlander, 1967; 3). While it is true that all religious traditions had a
history of individuals and institutions helping the lesser fortunate, it is
only in the modern society that ‘helping’ became a profession and professional
social work emerged. Professionalizing of the helping profession was both a
consequence of change and a cause of social change.
The major changes that influenced the emergence of social
work in the West were social, political and economic. The industrial society
gave birth to a number of problems not seen earlier. Urbanization, and large
scale migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of employment
were some of the important consequences. Rural communities declined and so did
the traditional forms of social control. People in the city often suffered from
moral and material problems. Institutions like the family and churches which
were earlier responsible for the welfare could no longer cope with the social
problems. Modern social work had its roots when volunteers, mainly middle class
white women worked among the poor and the destitute to alleviate their social
and financial problems. However there was a growing realization that charity
needs be organized to reduce costs and made more humanitarian (Desai, 2002).
The Charity Organization Societies (COS) and settlement house were the
pioneering efforts in this direction. The COS was founded in 1869 in UK and in
1877 in the USA. The COS used a number of ‘visitors” to investigate the clients who were considered needy by the
voluntary agencies. This system introduced some form of order in the then
prevalent chaotic situation in dispensing aid to the poor. Secondly the issue
of treatment was introduced as the COS did not simply distribute aid but also
provided social and psychological support. Therefore the COS visitors can be
called as forerunners of the method –case work. Thirdly the formation of
specialized agencies for coordinating and administering welfare services were
widely used. The beginning of using a systematic method to deal with the poor can
be traced to these movements. The settlement houses were started in 1889 in the
USA. Settlement houses were agencies in which university students stayed with
the poor to support them and at the same time learn about their life. The
methods used by these houses can be termed as three Rs-residence, reform and
research. Living with those who needed help reduced the distance between the
client and the practioner. The COS’s major objective was to reform the poor by
counseling and support while the settlement house aimed at understanding the
poor and trying to address the conditions that caused poverty.
Another
major influence was the growing social movements which took place during the
nineteenth and twentieth century. Labour movements, socialistic movements, women’s
movements and movements for racial justice were some of the most prominent of
them. There was growing recognition of the rights for physically and mentally
disabled, children, refugees and the homeless. Several social workers gave lead
to these movements or were very much influenced by them. For example, Jane
Addams who started the settlement houses in Chicago won a Nobel Prize for her
contribution to the peace movements. Social workers were in the forefront of
the efforts to pass legislations to protect the rights of the disabled,
minorities and women. Another important factor in the emergence of professional
social work was the growing role of the state in welfare programmes. The Social
Security Act 1935 gave the responsibility of providing financial support to the
vulnerable sections to the government. The welfare component in the government
increased in most of the European countries. Professional social workers
planned and implemented the welfare programmes giving the profession greater
visibility and legitimacy.
Social’s increasing role in the society made it imperative
that a formal system of education be created that would train social workers to
perform their functions effectively. The first university to introduce formal
education was Columbia University which offered a six-week training programme
in 1896 for the volunteers who were working in the welfare sector. Gradually
there were number of courses which were offered increased. The duration was
also increased as subjects of study increased. Newcomer (1959) cites three
developments that took place which facilitated the rise of social work
education in USA (i) the development of social sciences as academic disciplines
(ii) the establishment of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections
and (iii) the establishment of privately sponsored women’s colleges and
co-educational public universities (cited by Desai, 2002). By the early
twentieth century social work courses became part of university system in the
USA. However the content and duration of the social work courses were the
subject of debate. In 1932 the Association of Schools of Social Work (AASSW)
adopted a minimum one year curriculum that included prescribed courses of
subject areas such as medical and psychiatric information research, social
legislation and legal aspects of social work (Dnnear 1984 quoted in Reamer). In
1944 the AASSW identified eight areas which should be taught in social work
courses such as, public welfare, social case work, group work, community
organization, medical information, social research, psychiatry and social welfare
administration. The Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) was started in 1952
to regulate social work education. In 1962 it formulated the first formal
curriculum policy which divided the curriculum into three areas like social
welfare policy and services, human behaviour and the social environment and
methods of social work practice. The next review in 1982 clarified the
important role of liberal arts in the syllabus and identified five important
areas: human behaviour and social environment, social welfare policy and
services, social work practice, research and field practicum. Again in 1992,
some new areas of concern were stressed including values and ethics, cultural
and ethnic diversity, population at risk, human behaviour and social
environment, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, research
and field practicum. Presently there is a broad consensus in the US on the topics
that need to be part of formal training in social work. (Reamer in Reamer,
1993, 1-12).
The International Association of Schools of Social Work
(IASSW) World census of Social work education 1998-1999 has given a global
picture (Not including us)) of the topic of study in social work courses. four
courses namely research, social policy, personal and interpersonal intervention
and community intervention were offered by 68.7% of the schools and Social and
Public Administration; Social History and Philosophy; Ethnic and Cultural
Focus; Bio\Psycho\Social Theory; and Organizational Theory were offered by 50%
to 54% of all schools out side the US. Social work curriculum represents the
knowledge that has to be transfer to new entrants to the profession and maintains
the standards of services. The existing curriculum can be divided into four
components: (1) Human behaviour and social environment which will include the
theories that explain social reality. This section of social work knowledge
relies more on social science disciplines like sociology, psychology, history and economic, (2) Social policy, social
welfare policy and social welfare administration. This section enriches itself
from the policy sciences and public administration, (3) Social work practice.
This section depends largely on the methods of social work namely case work,
group work and community organization. Within these models, social work has
evolved many intervention methods like task centered ecology model, (4) Social
work research which centers around evaluating and assessing the effectiveness
of the various means of intervention unlike the social sciences research which
aims at dispassionate search for truth.
Along with the gradual recognition of social work as a
discipline, there has been an increase in the number of books and articles
related to its practice. Mary Richmond wrote ‘social diagnosis’ which described
methods to understand and diagnose social reality. It influenced social work
practice as it was among the first text to systematically describe the methods
for practice. Similarly contributions by Grace Coyle, Mary Follet and others
helped the growth of group work knowledge.
Social Work and its Relation to Other Disciplines
Social work is related to various disciplines. The areas
like sociology, psychology and social policy are considered cognate disciplines
of social work which has influenced social work. (Central Council for Education
and Training in Social Work, 1976 quoted in Dominelli, 1997)
Sociology
and Social Work Sociology (Latin “socius” meaning companion and Greek logos the
study) is the scientific study of the human society. It is called the science
of society. All social sciences study human behaviour, but the content,
approach and the context of sociology are very different from other
disciplines. According to Inkeles (1999;14-15) sociology has three distinctive
subject matters. Firstly, sociology is the study of society with society as the
unit of analysis. Here it studies the internal differentiations and how they
interact with each other and how they influence each other. It studies the
allocation of functions to the different structures of the society. Max Weber,
for example, studied the relationship between religion and capitalism and how
the later helped capitalism emerge. Sociology also studies the external
characteristics of the population and the rate and stage of its progress. The
problems of the society are explained using these factors. Secondly sociology
as the study of intuitions – political, economic, social, legal,
stratifications, etc. It studies the features that these institutions share and
the features that are different. Their degree of specialization and level of
autonomy are also studied. Durkheim, one of the pioneers of sociology, called
sociology as the study of social institution. Thirdly sociology is the study of
social relationships. By social relationship we mean the interactions between
individuals. Interactions between individuals are mediated by norms and values
of the society and are intended to achieve goals.
The subject matter for sociology was collective behaviour of
human beings. Society, community, family, religion, nation and groups are
concepts that sociology investigates and studies. Its methods are considerably
influenced by natural sciences. Even more importantly sociology studied the
European society that was polarized and divided on ideological lines. The
society was in danger of being disintegrated. Sociologists through their
theoretical contributions were responding to this major crisis that they saw
around them. They were suggesting the ways and means that societies could adopt
to face the problems caused by modernity. Professional social work and sociology emerged in the
European society in the nineteenth century which was the period of great
changes in the society. Both responded to the crises caused by the changes in
the modern society. They used the scientific methods to validate their means of
work, gain acceptance and popular support. There were hard fought ideological
debates within the adherents of each discipline so as to the best way to solve
problems. For example in social work the COS approach and the settlement
approach influenced the direction of social work. The COS favoured the person
centered approach which depended on case work to resolve social problem while
the settlement house favoured a structural change to resolve the problem. In different
forms the debate continues so as to find the best way to resolve social
problems.(Dominelli, 2004; 47)
But sociology and social work differ in many aspects. In
Sociology the approach to society is theoretical and theory building is its
major concern. Social work on the other hand has to be practical and deal with
problems. So social workers spend more time in the field with people rather
than in the libraries with books. Sociological theory is based on facts drawn
from complex social reality. They offer precise cause to explain social
phenomena. Often these theories are of little value to the practioner as many
other factors come into play which should be taken into account to reach a
realistic solution. On the other hand, sociologist find social workers work to
be fragmented and oriented only towards the problem at hand. Another important
distinction between social work and sociology is that the latter made claims to
be a value free discipline. Being objective and free from bias was considered a
virtue. Social work on the other hand is a value based profession based on
humanitarian principles.(Johnson, 1998; 14)
Sociology
has a significant influence on social work. The work of Charles Booth on
poverty gave new perspectives
to the society. Sociological analysis provides theoretical
perspectives that can subject policies and the work which practioners do to
systematic analysis thereby enhancing our understanding of what is done and why
(Dominelli, 1997;5). The following are the areas in which contribution of
Sociology is significant.
1) The systems theory in sociology has been used in the
ecological model of social intervention in which the client systems are seen as
being part of the environment and being influenced by it. (Germain, Carel in
Reamer(ed), 1994: 103)
2) The major three approaches of sociology – structural
functionalist, Marxian and interactionist – have influenced social work
practice. Marxist theories have helped social worker understand that conflict
is part of society and that different sections in society have conflicting
interests. These perspectives have helped social workers look critically at its
own methods and see whose interests the profession is serving. Further they
have enabled social work professionals to influence social policy by advocating
for legislations and programs. The integrationist school has contributed to the
understanding of sub-cultures and delinquency. Some of the key theorists and
their concepts that have been significantly used in social work include
Foucault concept of power, Marx’s class relationship, and Goff man’s closed
institutions. (Dominelli, 1997; 82)
3) Sociological concepts like role, status, authority,
power, rights, responsibility, groups, communities and nations are used in
casework, group work and community organization which has enriched social work
practice.
4)
The study of family, types of families, changing roles of family members,
changing functions of family and its
members, the problems and means to resolve these problems.
5)
Problems of elderly and their solutions.
Psychology
and Social Work Psychology (Latin psyche soul and logos study) is the study of
mental processes and human behaviour. Psychology can be defined as the science
of human and animal behaviour; it includes application of this science to human
problems (Morgan,C.T. et al, 1993; 30). Being a science it uses the tools of
observation, measurement and classification to study human behaviour.
Three main approaches dominate the field of psychology (1)
Freudian and neo Freudian approaches. This approach gives importance to the
unconscious part of the mind which plays an important role in determining the
behaviour of the individual. Sigmund Freud is the main proponent of this
approach but since then many others like Carl Jung have contributed to giving
new direction to this approach. (2) Behavioural approach which takes behaviour
as being learnt. Skinner the proponent of this approach advocated the use of
empirical methods to study human behaviour. (3) The third approach is the
gestalt approach which takes a holistic approach to the study of human
behaviour.
Psychology is further divided into various specializations —
clinical psychology, abnormal psychology, industrial psychology, counseling
psychology, developmental psychology and sports psychology. While much of
psychology is descriptive and analytical in nature. Psychology is also a
practice profession. A variety of agencies employ psychologists for work
related to recruitment, counseling and training. Clinical psychology provides
diagnosis to mental disorders and prescribes therapies for their cure. The area
of social worker and the clinical psychologist overlaps even in other areas
like child development and there are common areas of concern also.
